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news.MultiCell Technologies (MCET) has been issued US patent 8,809,290 covering novel drug compositions and platform technologies which redirect the immune system response to protect against highly virulent virus infection and cancer.
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These novel drug compositions consisting of noncoding doubled stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules and recombinant immunoglobulin-peptide (IgP) molecules demonstrate unique immune stimulating activity, and the ability to present peptide antigens to immune cells resulting in protective anti-tumoral and anti-viral immunity.
In mouse cancer models, the combination of MCT-465, a dsRNA therapeutic, and MCT-475, an IgP therapeutic, not only induced the animal’s immune system to eradicate the engrafted tumor, but upon rechallenge with tumor cells, no new tumors developed indicating the animal had developed protective anti-tumoral immunity. Tumor rejection and protection against similar and new tumor variants was found to also be associated with specific, overall expansion of cytokine producing cells. This finding indicates a broadening of the repertoire of anti-tumor immune cells and the development of immune memory in the animal.
Mice immunized with MCT-465 and MCT-475 resulted in the priming of an immune response capable of limiting the replication of virus subsequent to further virus infectious challenge. During viral infection, specific immune system cells begin to proliferate and differentiate which defines the adaptive immune response to the infection. In mouse models, administration of MCT-465 and MCT-475 greatly enhanced the generation of interferon gamma (IFN?) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) producing virus antigen-specific T-cells resulting in significantly reduced virus levels present in the animal.
MultiCell is developing MCT-465 and MCT-475 for the treatment of hepatitis B virus infection and hepatitis C virus infection, and for the treatment of certain cancers.
Chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C virus infection are recognized as major factors worldwide that increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), chronic hepatitis B virus infection and chronic hepatitis C virus infection account for about 30% to 40% of all reported USA cases of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of primary liver cancer, represents a major unmet medical need. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and is the fourth most common cancer in the world. Over 1 million cases of hepatocellular carcinoma are reported annually worldwide. Current approaches for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma are of limited efficacy. According to the NCI, only 16% of patients diagnosed with primary liver cancer survive longer than 5 years.
MultiCell is also developing MCT-485, a very small dsRNA therapeutic, thought to target cancer by delivering a cytotoxic effect to only those cells having the highest tumor initiating capability that are part of the cancerous process such as cancer stem cells and tumor initiating cells. MCT-485 appears to have no effect on cells not directly involved in the process of relapse, progression and metastasis of cancer. MCT-485 appears to exert a preferential biological activity on liver cancer cells while showing no effect on normal liver cells.